When Dave asked me to start writing the newsletters/ blog posts he asked me to write about CoachVille from my perspective and I thought, “Where will I start?” There is so much content, so many resources, I had to walk away from the computer and spend some time thinking about my first piece.
I thought about two of my personal BIG moments at CoachVille, my first class and the day Dave offered me the position of general manager and I said yes. WOW…I said yes!
After our first conversation about what was expected and what I would be doing I thought, “Oh my god, I am SO outside of my comfort zone! WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING?!? “Yes, a super conductivity moment, but that is a whole other blog post!
What I WAS thinking and AM thinking is I WANT TO PLAY BIG!
I took my first class at CoachVille in the spring of 2007. It was an older incarnation of the Play Two Win method and I was totally blown away by the content and after class walked out into the living room and announced, “At some point I want to play a significant role in this school!.” I didn’t even have a client yet but I was already PLAYING BIG!
It is that spirit of play that brought me to CoachVille when I originally researched coach training programs and that same spirit that drives me to look for all the places I can help to improve the membership and the school.
I feel a wild energy that runs through the heart of CoachVille; you’ve experienced it I am sure. It’s obvious when you’re hearing it from Dave, he lives and breathes it, sometimes you feel he will just explode he is so energized.
You also hear it in dyads, when coaches are learning and growing, you feel it in the undercurrent of all the new changes and growth that is happening around the ‘Ville and the exciting project that is LifeVille. Most importantly it exists in the coaches that have traveled through our virtual campus on their coaching journey. There is just something different about CoachVille coaches, they DO have an energy that seems to vibrate and I really believe it comes from the amazing methods and classes we offer.
So, to write the blog and newsletter and choose from all that is CoachVille I have to start with Play Two Win. It is Play Two Win that enrolled me, energized me and reminded me that playing big was really the only choice!
The whole concept of Play Two Win is energy filled and is the crux of why I became a coach. The pursuit of human greatness in which the Spirit of Play is the key!
From the class homepage:
One key to playing BIG in your business or career is to energize your game with the spirit of play! Based on our fundamental understanding that all humans are born with Spirit of Play we have developed a fundamental theory that ANY endeavor in life can be played as a winnable game. With the spirit of play you tap into a major human energy source that releases your creativity, resourcefulness, resilience and desire to have fun doing what you do. We call our method Play-Two-Win because you only win when you your whole team wins and as a coach you only win when your player wins. When you live this way you become VERY attractive to people and opportunities. People will love playing on your team because they know that you are playing for them to win also.
Traditional methods for coaching and personal growth are often not effective because they are focused on working on tasks and problems. We know that humans learn, grow and produce results better when they are playing and enjoying what they do. So if you want to play BIG in life AND coach people who desire to play big in life, you MUST learn this method.
Play Two Win inspires me, it obviously drives Dave and it really defines all that is CoachVille. And it is really the reason I am so grateful to be here and adding to such a vibrant community of amazing coaches PLAYING BIG!
Playing BIG in the World!
Coach Deanna
Good to hear from you Deanna, good luck in the new role. Look forward to “playing big” with you & Coachville in the future.
Be good to yourself
David
Words can not express my gratitude for the Play to Win concept! I completed the series a couple of months ago and my life and career has changed. Coach Vicki was extremely skilled at digging deap and getting to the core of my play. We discovered that play is a platform for my women’s leadership development series. She assisted me in coupling my love for play, my father’s legacy for business, and my heart for leadership.
This is the introduction from one of the projects that was birthed from my Play to Win Session!
Vicki, I will always be greatful to you and your team!
Sincerely,
Nathalie Gregg
Leading in Stilettos
Book Excerpt from Nathalie Gregg’s Leading in Stilettos
http://www.leadinginstilettos.com
Introduction:
I can remember my first Chamber of Commerce meeting with my father. He had just been elected to the board of the Marion Chamber of Commerce and decided that I would accompany him to his first meeting. No matter how hard I tried my feet did not come close to touching the floor in those humongous executive chairs. I noticed that I was the smallest person at the table. As I settled in, I was trying to decide why he insisted that I accompany him to a board meeting. This was certainly not my idea of fun. My idea of fun was riding my big wheel, playing in my sandbox, or aggravating the life out of my grandmother. I began to look around the room and there was not one person who looked like me. Not one! There I was stuck in a room full of men! And at that very moment, I discovered Girl Power!
There was nothing in the world like playing dress up as a little girl.
Boas, tiaras, lipstick, perfume, white leather gloves and my mothers’ black suede stilettos. I would grab my mother’s best shoes and pretend that I was leading my stuffed animals to victory! Little did I know that the very games that gave me pleasure as a child would give me confidence as an adult!
The inspiration for this book comes from my own experiences of learning how to navigate and thrive in a male dominated society. Learning how to master the game while staying true to my femininity and shattering the preverbal psychological glass ceiling.
Each chapter contains a snippet from my journey. From kindergarten to adulthood, play is used as a springboard, tool, and foundation to keep me continuously operating in my passion.
Years later, I received the ATHENA Award presented by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, memories of my first Chamber meeting came rushing to my mind. Although several decades have passed, many of our boardrooms still have the same demographics. It is for that reason I honor that memory of Girl Power as I unleash Leading in Stilettos.
Nathalie Gregg